Highway guard rail and post therefor



April 11, 1961 A. F. CRONE HIGHWAY GUARD RAIL AND POST THEREFOR FiledFeb. 10, 1958 I VENTPR.

W 77% WW? Cl %Fo 2 27935.

HIGHWAY GUARD RAIL POST THEREFOR Alfred F. Crone, Williamsville, N.Y.,assignor to Acme This invention relates to highway guard railconstruction and more particularly to posts for use in connection withthe supporting of a guard rail.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a guard rail post ofstrong and eificient construction and Which has a web arranged in aplane extending in the direction in which a vehicle would move ifstriking the guard rail.

A further object is to provide a guard rail post which is reversible sothat either end thereof can be anchored in the ground at either side ofa trafiic lane with the result that the diagonal web of the post will bearranged to offer the maximum resistance to impact by vehicles against aguard rail.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a highway guard rail and theupper part of the supporting post therefor embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a post.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan View of a guard rail and post showingthe same with the post arranged with one end thereof up.

Fig. 4 is a similar fragmentary view of a guard rail showing a post withthe other end up.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of a post with a pair of guardrails for use on a highway in which the two parts of a divided highwayare in close proximity to each other.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a guard rail,and a post of modified construction.

My improved highway guard rail post is of unitary construction which maybe either made from a flat strip of metal bent into the desired form orit may be rolled. The post includes a pair of flanges 8 and 9 arrangedparallel to each other and spaced apart. These flanges are connected bymeans of a diagonal extending web 10 which connects opposite edges ofthe flanges 8 and 9, preferably the junctures between the diagonallyextending web and the two flanges are curved as shown in 11 and 12.

The two flanges of the post are provided with suitable means forconnecting with a guard rail, such for example as the guard rail orbeam- 15 shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to 5. These connections may be of anysuitable or desired type, those shown in the construction illustratedbeing in the form of holes 16 and 17 arranged adjacent to the oppositeends of the post. The securing of the guard rail to the post may beeffected by means of bolts 18 each passing through holes in the guardrail and in the post.

It will be noted that the post as described may be used to bestadvantage with the diagonal web 10 arranged in a plane extending towardthe direction of travel of automobiles on the adjacent highway ortraflic lane. For example in Fig. 3 the diagonal 10 is arranged in aplane extending toward the left so that when vehicles leaving thepavement and striking the guard rail will approach the sameapproximately in the direction in which the web extends. Thus ifvehicles traveling in the direction nited States at ntO' p 2,979,307Patented Apr. 11,1961

approximately in the direction of the arrow 21, Fig. 3.

Consequently the impact of a vehicle against a guard rail will beresisted to the maximum extent by means of the web 10 because of thefact that the force exerted by the vehicle on the guard rail and thepost is approximately parallel to the plane of the web 10. If the guardrail is located at the side of the highway as shown in Fig. 4, on whichvehicles travel in the direction indicated by the arrow 22, then if theyaccidentally leave the pavement they will impinge on the guard railapproximately in the direction indicated by the arrow 23 so that againthe force exerted by the vehicle on the guard rail will be approximatelyin the plane of the diagonal web 10.

Since the web 10 extends in the opposite direction in Figs. 3 and 4,this can be accomplished by inverting the post. When one end of the postis in the ground, the web 10 will be arranged to extend in one directionand when the post is inverted so that the other end thereof extends intothe ground then the web 10 will extend in the opposite direction and byproviding fastening means such as the bolt holes in both ends of thepost, the post may be used with either end up.

If the two lanes of travel of a highway are fairly close together guardrails 25 and 26 may be secured to opposite flanges of the post as shownin Fig. 5. Consequently when traflic along one lane moves in thedirection indicated by the arrow 30, then vehicles accidentally leavingthe lane will impinge against the guard rail 25 indicated by the arrow31. Vehicles traveling on the other lane in the general directionindicated by the arrow 32, if leaving the lane and impinging against theguard rail 26 will move approximately as indicated by the arrow 36. i

In addition to the resistance oilered by the diagonal webs of the posts,this resistance is greatly augmented by the integral connection of thesame with the flanges 8 and 9. For example in the construction shown inFig. 3, the impact of a vehicle in the direction indicated by the arrow21 will be resisted in part by the flange 9. Obviously the proportion orshare of resistance offered by the flange and the web will depend uponthe angle at which the impact takes place, or the angle of the arrow 21with the guard rail. Under all impact conditions the two flanges alsoserve to resist buckling or bending of the diagonal web.

It may at times be desirable to employ longer bolts to secure the guardrail or beam to both flanges of the post. This can readily be done asindicated in Fig. 6, by providing a hole of approximately ellipticalshape in the web 10, this hole being of sufiicient size to permit a bolt25 to pass through the same and also through the two bolt holes in theflanges. By means of this construction the guard rail will be supportedby both of the flanges of the post and also to some extent by thediagonal web.

My improved highway guard rail post consequently has a number ofadvantages over posts heretofore employed for this purpose. In the firstplace the cross-section of the post is such that the metal is sodisposed that it oflers the maximum resistance to bending or breakingwith the minimum amount of metal. Economy in manufacture results fromthe fact that only one type of post serves for both sides of a highwayand this is also a convenience to road construction contractors who arenot required to carry two different types of posts in stock. 7

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials andarrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustratedin order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by thoseskilled in the art, within the principle and scope of the invention, asexpressed in the appended claims.

securing a guard rail to either end thereof, said post when 10 securedwith one end thereof in the ground has said diagonal web arranged withthe flat faces thereof inclined toward the direction of travel ofvehicles along the adjacent 4 side of the highway, said post beinginvertible and when secured with the other end thereof in the groundhaving said fiat faces of said diagonal web inclined in the oppositedirection and toward the direction of travel of vehi- 5 cles on theother side of the highway.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS704,035 Henry July 8, 1902 1,849,167 Bente Mar. 15, 1932 2,025,014Brickman et a1. Dec. 17, 1935 2,047,436 Shepherd July 14, 1936

